Miniature illumination lighting devices have historically used incandescent or halogen bulbs. These types of lighting systems are relatively inefficient. A substantial amount of energy is lost generating heat as a byproduct. Another disadvantage of these types of systems is the relatively short life span of the lighting bulbs. Consequently, these lighting systems result in high operational and maintenance costs. The problems associated with past miniature illumination systems have largely been solved by illumination devices of the type disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/968,560, entitled “Super Bright LED Utility And Emergency Light.”
There remain problems relating to the costs and adaptability of light emitting diodes (LED's) to electricity supply lines in structures such as, for example, new and existing railing systems.
Therefore, a need exists for a versatile, adaptable, inexpensive lighting system employing miniature light sources, such as, for example, LED's that is easy to install in such systems. The present invention provides such a system, that additionally enables replacement of the light sources without undue expense or effort.